Cavemen and Caves of the Bible (eBook)
13 Dynamic Lessons on Coping with Times of Isolation
eBook Download:
EPUB
2022
|
1. Auflage
120 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-1623-4 (ISBN)
120 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-1623-4 (ISBN)
Many have described our time of mandated quarantines and isolations as 'Living in a cave!' The Cavemen of the Bible was written using historical cavemen and women from the Bible to help the believer cope with the stress, anxiety and depression of cave dwelling. This book is a manual for victorious living and deliverance from oppressive confinement.
2020 was a year described by one word, PANDEMIC. All that transpired during the year left most people desiring to put the year into the cave they were plunged into and try to forget it. We do not know what this year holds for us. Who knows, this year could be worse. It seems that we are being more and more isolated. When our country was shut down for months and our churches were told to close, many stated that it seemed we were living in caves. It was a difficult time. It was a new experience for so many. Many did not know how to deal with living in a cave. The Lord reminded me that His people have often been forced, by circumstances beyond their control, to resort to caves. The Bible holds many exciting, adventurous, as well as troubling accounts of cavemen and their caves. God put many of His choice servants in caverned classrooms to make them "e;approved unto God."e; There were great men and women mentioned with their caves such as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah, Gideon, Jonathan, Moses, Elijah, Lazarus, Obadiah and many more. Thus, I began a series of messages to encourage our people on "e;How to Behave in the Cave."e; This series lasted even after we were able to hold services again. The list of caves used in this book is not exhaustive. Several others could have been used and perhaps you will be encouraged to explore others that I have not used in this study. There are 13 lessons in this book which are intended to give some encouragement to patiently endure and transform your cave into a Caverned Classroom. A good student will not only gain insight and instruction from the Master Teacher, but hopefully will help others to become adequate spelunkers. One word of caution however, is that there are no two caves alike. You must not judge another's cave experience by your own. Caves come in all sizes, depths and dangers. Some people have entered a mole tunnel and described it as Mammoth Cave!I was encouraged by my study to discover that no cave that was mentioned in the Bible was permanent. Though you may find your cave to be necessary, don't feel that it is permanent. Though you may feel isolated, many of the Cavemen of the Bible found the presence of God and came out with the Glory of God upon them. David named one of his caves, "e;Under the Shadow of Thy Wings."e; Another warning is needed here. David also called one of his caves a "e;prison."e;If you are in a cave, be sure it is God who put you there. Many cave dwellers of the Bible resorted to caves out of cowardice, rather than courage and fear, rather than faith. Accept God's timing and teaching. Remember, we will stand shoulder to shoulder to some of the greatest cavemen and women at the Judgment Seat of Christ. I want us to have a good day that day!Hebrews 11:32-4032-And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:33-Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,34-Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35-Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:36-And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:37-They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;38-(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39-And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:40-God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
2020 was a year described by one word, PANDEMIC. All that transpired during the year left most people desiring to put the year into the cave they were plunged into and try to forget it. We do not know what this year holds for us. Who knows, this year could be worse. It seems that we are being more and more isolated. When our country was shut down for months and our churches were told to close, many stated that it seemed we were living in caves. It was a difficult time. It was a new experience for so many. Many did not know how to deal with living in a cave. The Lord reminded me that His people have often been forced, by circumstances beyond their control, to resort to caves. The Bible holds many exciting, adventurous, as well as troubling accounts of cavemen and their caves. God put many of His choice servants in caverned classrooms to make them "e;approved unto God."e; There were great men and women mentioned with their caves such as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah, Gideon, Jonathan, Moses, Elijah, Lazarus, Obadiah and many more. Thus, I began a series of messages to encourage our people on "e;How to Behave in the Cave."e; This series lasted even after we were able to hold services again. The list of caves used in this book is not exhaustive. Several others could have been used and perhaps you will be encouraged to explore others that I have not used in this study. There are 13 lessons in this book which are intended to give some encouragement to patiently endure and transform your cave into a Caverned Classroom. A good student will not only gain insight and instruction from the Master Teacher, but hopefully will help others to become adequate spelunkers. One word of caution however, is that there are no two caves alike. You must not judge another's cave experience by your own. Caves come in all sizes, depths and dangers. Some people have entered a mole tunnel and described it as Mammoth Cave!I was encouraged by my study to discover that no cave that was mentioned in the Bible was permanent. Though you may find your cave to be necessary, don't feel that it is permanent. Though you may feel isolated, many of the Cavemen of the Bible found the presence of God and came out with the Glory of God upon them. David named one of his caves, "e;Under the Shadow of Thy Wings."e; Another warning is needed here. David also called one of his caves a "e;prison."e;If you are in a cave, be sure it is God who put you there. Many cave dwellers of the Bible resorted to caves out of cowardice, rather than courage and fear, rather than faith. Accept God's timing and teaching. Remember, we will stand shoulder to shoulder to some of the greatest cavemen and women at the Judgment Seat of Christ. I want us to have a good day that day!Hebrews 11:32-4032-And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:33-Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,34-Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35-Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:36-And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:37-They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;38-(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39-And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:40-God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
| CHAPTER 2 |
| Caveman David |
The Cave of Discipleship
Psalm 57
The cave experience Psalms were written by David, regarding his Cave of Adullam experiences. Psalm 56 was written on his way to the cave, Psalm 34 upon arrival, and Psalms 57 and 142 were written within the cave.
These cave experiences were temporary. You may be facing a cave experience and may have some questions as to why you had to endure this situation at all, but God knows. Sometimes He allows these experiences to happen in order to help us. Don’t allow the cave experience to be a wasted one. God may give you a song or a blessing, but surely God will bring you out with greater usefulness to Him than before you went into the cave.
For David, the cave experiences were necessary, just like they are for you and me. You may be asking, “Why am I here?” No doubt, David asked the same question. You’re not there by coincidence. If you are in a cave experience by no choice of your own, then accept it as Divine Providence. Let’s quit complaining and find out what God is trying to teach us. For David, it was necessary that he might “endure hardness as a good soldier.” The difficult experiences in his life were what made him become the greatest king Israel had ever known. God may be preparing you through this experience for something far greater than you have ever accomplished.
Let’s look at this Psalm:
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue as a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.”
The Complexities of David’s Life
Consider the complexity of David’s life. His life was always changing; and, with so many changes, it is difficult to really get comfortable in life. Solomon wrote that he had everything that could be obtained in life, (entertainment, gardens, servants, palaces, wealth, storehouses full of treasures, etc.); yet, in Ecclesiastes, he exclaimed it was all vanity. He described old age, a time that should have been a time of comfort, as pathetic and depressing. Because life is always changing, we cannot become too comfortable.
David went from the solitude of being a shepherd boy to the anointing of becoming the chosen one. He went from playing his harp to pacify the sheep, to playing to pacify a demonic, deranged king. What an extreme change of scenery for David! He went from fighting bears and lions with no fanfare to fighting the giant, Goliath, between two on-looking armies of thousands. He took on Goliath, took off his head, and the cheers began to go up. Both of those armies began writing songs about David. He became the theme of the pop songs of his day, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” No doubt, this notoriety affected David.
He went from obscurity to becoming the desire of the nation. He went from absolute dependence upon God to the natural dependence upon self, and why not? He realized he was a handsome, talented musician; a singer and songwriter; a skillful, athletic, tactful, and innocent man. He went from assuming he was just an ordinary young man who needed God, to realizing he had talents and abilities upon which he became reliant instead of upon God. He went from the place where he had friends and no foes, to a place with foes and no friends.
The Complicity of David
Consider David’s complicity with the Philistines. He began to do in the flesh what he had done by the power of the Holy Spirit. God may allow us to come to the end of ourselves to realize that our flesh cannot accomplish what God intended to be accomplished by His Spirit. “…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). God said He would use that which was nothing to confound the mighty and the foolish to confound the wise. I believe that is what God was trying to get David to understand. God had not chosen him because of all the abilities he had, for God had wrought all of his abilities in him. 1 Samuel 16:13 says, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward…” From that day forward David experienced the Holy Spirit’s power; but through much success, he came to rely upon himself. Let me give you some examples:
In I Samuel 21 David, fleeing from Saul, went to the city of Nob. He told Ahimelech, the priest, he needed a weapon. No doubt the priest wondered why he needed a sword, when he was able to take down Goliath without one. David boldly said to the giant, “Thou comest to me with a sword…but I come to thee in the name of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 17:45). What a great difference between the two weapons of war, man’s sword, and the Sword of the Lord! Ahimelech tells David that the sword of Goliath was there. For his self-preservation, David was less than truthful with this man of God. He told Ahimelech that King Saul had sent him on some business. When circumstances in your life become difficult, do you find yourself bending the truth a little? God can still take care of us despite the circumstances. We don’t have to “help God out” by bending the truth and making compromises in our testimony. David’s dishonesty cost Ahimelech his life, along with the lives of all those in that city. When we bend the truth, we affect the lives of others.
Next we see David depending upon the sword that had failed Goliath. He knew he couldn’t use that huge sword. He compromised with the enemy. He takes Goliath’s sword to Gath, the hometown of the Philistine champion. Perhaps to impress the King of Gath, he presents the sword in exchange for a place of refuge and hiding from Saul. The Lord had been his refuge and secret place from troubles and enemies. Soon he would flee to the cave and testify, “… in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” He did everything his own way without seeking God’s will. He did it in the power and energy of the flesh, and found himself in great trouble. Perhaps he tried to trade liberty for security. Here in America, so much of what you and I put our faith and dependence on is in trouble. Our economics, healthcare system, government, elections and so much more are in serious trouble. God may be bringing us to a position where we realize we need the Great Physician! We need the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, The King of Kings and LORD of Lords, The Almighty Maker, to meet our needs and be our supply and govern our lives! We are losing the great liberties in our country today, because we want to feel safe and secure. We think, “Who needs God when we’ve got government?” Before this is over, we may emerge from the cave realizing we’ve got God, and He is all we need.
The Necessity of David’s Cave
Consider the necessity of David’s cave. Everything we’ve experienced, God has allowed. Job told his wife, “What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). We know that all things work together for our good and His glory. That is still in the Book (Romans 8:28)! We can’t be afraid of things on this earth. We must fear the Lord. God brought David to the place in his life where he could rely upon Him. So what was the necessity of this cave? God allowed David to be socially distanced from friends, family, and admirers. God brought him away from all of that. He may allow us to be separated for a while. He may get us away from all the hustle and bustle of our lives, socially distancing us from ourselves to a divine intimacy with Himself.
It would do us well, as Paul told the church of Corinth in 2 Corinthians 6:17, to “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” Sometimes, God wants us alone. David put it so beautifully in Psalm 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” That’s what we all need in our cave experiences. Yes, we need social distancing. May it help us to get a divine intimacy with the Lord. James 4:8 tells us, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” The devil will try everything he can to socially distance you from the Lord, but dear Christian, he...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 21.1.2022 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Christentum |
| ISBN-10 | 1-6678-1623-3 / 1667816233 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-6678-1623-4 / 9781667816234 |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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